A dramatic late goal from James Hayter gave Yeovil Town hope against their relegation battle this afternoon after they beat Oldham Athletic by a 2-1 scoreline. The 35 year old came off the bench to score in the 92nd minute of the game after he netted in a close range scramble after the Glovers had to come from behind to defeat a frustrating Latics side, who had taken the lead just before the break through Carl Winchester. During the second half, Yeovil finally made their domination of the chances pay when Joel Grant netted from close range after Adam Morgan's shot had been palmed onto the post by former Glovers loanee Jake Kean, but despite Brian Wilson getting his marching orders late on for two bookable offences, it looked as though the Glovers would have to settle for a point - until Hayter poached deep into second half injury time to guide his team to within three points of Coventry City as the bottom five places in League One bunched up with 11 games remaining.

The Glovers went into the match making four changes to the Tuesday night side that had lost against Walsall. Stephen Kingsley's head injury meant that he had to sit out the match, and that allowed Stephen Arthurworrey to be drafted in under the matchday loan rules, with the Fulham player immediately getting his place back in the side. Liam Davis suffered a groin injury in the same match, and he was replaced by Nathan Smith, coming back from his own head injury. In more attacking parts of the field, Adam Morgan and Joel Grant's impressive substitute appearances in the Walsall match allowed them to take James Hayter and James Berrett's places, with a formation change seeing the 3-5-2 ditched for a 4-4-2 as Morgan and Grant took the wide spots.

The first half belonged almost entirely to Yeovil, albeit that their shooting was decidedly wayward. Even when they did land the ball in the back of the net, Adam Morgan had been flagged offside comfortably before he converted. But they stacked up enough chances to take a sizeable half time lead, with Sam Foley's shot from distance going wide and Kieffer Moore putting over the bar. Perhaps what didn't help them was that four of their first half attempts fell to centre-back Stephen Arthurworrey as part of set plays, rather than any of their four strikers that were on the pitch - the Fulham loanee put two headers over the bar and another shot was wide of the target.

In fairness to Arthurworrey he provided one of Yeovil's two shots that did worry the keeper. Both came in quick succession, as former Glovers loanee Jake Kean blocked Arthurworrey's effort, and when the ball was put back into the box, Gozie Ugwu forced Kean into a second strong save. Sam Foley and Kieffer Moore put further attempts wide of the target as the half closed, with the home side certainly on top, but once again not being clinical enough.

As has been so often the case though, Yeovil fell behind to an opposition goal scored against the run of play. Carl Winchester had provided Oldham's only other effort on goal during the first 45 minutes, but when he was given a through ball by Mike Jones a minute before the break, he got it right second time, to fire back across the path of Scott Loach and give Oldham a lead at the break they didn't deserve, but one that has unfortunately been a big pattern of Yeovil Town's season to date.

The second half saw the Glovers open up with the wind against them as they attacked the home end of the ground. Ten minutes into that half they got the equalising goal that their play deserved, as Adam Morgan's cut inside from the right wing saw him unleash a 25 yard shot on goal. Jake Kean did well to palm the ball onto his goalpost, but on the rebound in came Joel Grant to convert the loose ball and give Yeovil a valuable equalising goal. 1-1 and game on!

Yeovil created less chances than they did during the first period, yet were still on top of their opponents. Oldham seemed content to play for the point, but they were dealt a significant blow with 11 minutes to go when former Bristol City full-back Brian Wilson committed a clear foul out on the flanks. Referee Lee Collins waved play on, but when the ball finally ran out of play a minute or two later, the Surrey official's good memory for an Oldham player singled out Wilson and gave him his second yellow of the game, having already been booked for a spot of earlier handbags with Josh Sheehan.

Now facing ten men for the final ten minutes, Yeovil pushed for the winner, but even then threatened to undo that advantage when James Wilson narrowly headed over the bar from a set piece. Joel Grant became the second Glovers player to get the ball in the back of the net long after an offside flag had gone up, but then the Glovers came their closest yet to grabbing a winner as Sam Foley's shot was blocked on the goal line by an Oldham defender from Joel Grant's cross into the box.

Just when it seemed that the winning goal wouldn't happen, it finally did. With five minutes of injury time signalled, Joel Grant weaved his way into the box, and as he appeared to be fouled and shouts went up for a penalty, James Hayter reacted to the loose ball before referee Lee Collins could make up his mind, and he slotted the ball past the advancing Jake Kean for a scrambled and hugely important late late goal.

Oldham almost grabbed an undeserved equaliser in the 97th minute of the match, as Liam Kelly converted from a corner, but the referee had already blown up for a foul on goalkeeper Scott Loach, and with the last action of the game thankfully the points were safe. With Coventry City, Colchester United, Leyton Orient and Crawley Town all losing, that goal from James Hayter could prove highly influential. With the gap to safety now down to three points, the Glovers still face an uphill task, but that late winner does allow a little sign of daylight ahead for the final 11 games of the season.